Unequipped and willing

I'm very excited to be here by excited.

I mean extremely terrified. And like Glenn called out the

life group is a life group and friends are here tonight to

support. And I just want to make mention.

Most of them are yet to support me.

There's a few that just take joy.

In seeing me in an uncomfortable position, but I appreciate it.

Nonetheless. Yeah.

So I want to start with one scripture.

If we can put it up at Psalm, 34:18 that says, he is close to

the Brokenhearted and saves those.

Those who are crushed in spirit and I just want to keep it up

there for the majority of this preach.

And I want to share with you. One of the first encounters I

had with Rory about six years ago and I'm pretty sure he has

no recollection of it. But I was in Brooklyn Mall.

One day with a colleague of mine having coffee.

And we were in a very heated discussion about what was going

on in the business and Rory kind of walked behind my Fourth.

And I didn't notice him at first, and, like, at the Apex of

my frustration. In this conversation, I just

belted out this certain four-letter, word, and it wasn't

fluffy are, but funny enough, as that word rolled off my tongue.

I looked up and I just locked eyes with Rory.

And in the movies like everything just went slow motion

and the one half of me is thinking my pasta.

We I've just joined the church a couple of weeks, a couple of

months, the other half of me is thinking while you've committed

so you know, just see it through.

And so, the word rolls off my tongue, he walks by, he has his

coffee and a couple of minutes later, he just comes over

shakes. My hand gently and we have a

chat and we go our ways and Six years ago, in that moment, if

you told me that he would call me up and ask me to come preach

over here in front of you, I probably would have told you to

flip off, you know, butt in that 2 seconds 3 seconds, that I

locked eyes with Rory and that happened.

That was a moment of weakness in my eyes, right?

That he witness. And every time I've seen Rory

for the past six years, the first thing I think of when I

see him is that moment And I'm reminded of that moment and

every time I feel shy and I feel insecure about it and he might

not even remember it or even notice that it happened for that

matter, but it took hold of me for six years.

And it's been with me. And every time I see him, I've

got this notion that he's got a negative opinion about me about

that moment. So when I started preparing for

what I would say tonight that got me thinking I started

thinking as far back as I could about all the moments and Events

in my life that I could remember that had the same effect on me.

We're moments of weakness have stayed with me for so long that

it deceived me into believing what type of person I was or

would become So I started thinking about high school, high

school was an amazing time for me.

Probably five best years. I could ask why I attended one

of the best schools in the country.

I played a team rugby all the way to my trick.

Played first team rugby, 18 water, polo First Team Water,

Polo water, polo captain, my grades were good ish, they were

good enough. I had great friends, I dated the

popular girls but they had nothing on you, babe.

You know I got along with the teachers the parents and I was

very confident in who I was and everything that I did extremely

confident. Then I started thinking about

the next phase of my life high school went by and I went to

University and it wasn't quite the same story.

I stopped playing sport at some point.

I stopped going to my classes at one point.

I didn't even bother showing up for my taste.

I faked report cards. I started partying way too much.

I got in car accidents, I got arrested relationships with

friends, broke down, and eventually I dropped out of

University. I took on odd jobs part time,

jobs that friends gave me, but nothing promising of a real

future. But even though that was going

on, I was still confident in who I was and what my beliefs were,

you know? I had this.

Nothing could phase me mentality.

That life was just going to work out, so I was happy but as I was

saying. So from this One Direction in my

life, All the friends that I knew over a couple of years from

school, they were kind of on the straight and narrow.

They all moved forward. They finished University.

They got jobs, they moved into their own places.

Some of them got married, early, some of them turning to sports

stars, which you all know very well, and they were all making a

success of themselves. And this is where that

confidence. I had in myself started changing

within me and I fell into a trap like, some of us do throughout

our life because I started looking at everyone Around me

and I started placing more value on other people's opinions than

I did on the only opinion, that really matters, the only one

that ever has mattered and it never will matter.

And that's the opinion of God on me.

And the worst thing about it is, I didn't even place value on

other people's opinions of me, because I'm pretty sure they

didn't really have opinions about me.

The opinions. Were I placed value on perceived

opinions because of what the world led me to believe was the

standard or the norm. So in my mind, I started

believing that people judge me because I was in achieving the

same successes as they were and it wasn't their opinion.

It was an opinion that I decided on their behalf and I started

believing it pretty much the same way that day in Brooklyn,

you know, it's probably gone over his head, the past six

years, but I've always believed that he has an opinion about me

about it, so it was a lie that I believe because the world wanted

me to believe it and there's a saying that goes comparison is

the thief of joy. And this is our clever.

The enemy is that I thought of we don't need actual people or

events to tell us or show us things to trigger our

insecurities because it's easily accessible every single day,

right? If you think of yourself own

Instagram, Tick-Tock Facebook, YouTube, all of that stuff.

When we look at that, always sees the best of the best.

The prettiest, the funniest, the wealthiest, the most athletic,

the most talented, the most successful.

And the more, we look at that, we kind of go from.

Wow, look at that. That I wish that was me to

eventually going. Wow, look at that.

That will never be me. And that light takes a hold of

us and At some stage, I started to believe that and we believe

that because we are not that we are the lesser the weaker, the

uglier, the poorer, the untalented, the failures, the

Unworthy, and the unqualified. And we place more value on

perceived opinions, than on God's opinion of us.

And I did this for many years and started molding me into this

person that I didn't want to be a person.

I never was, I became shy. I became fearful doubtful

extremely introverted, and I too became brokenhearted and crushed

in spirit. And I feel like so many of us

are sitting here with one or many moments that have

wrongfully and deceitfully defined.

Us. and that has broken us and crushed Us in spirit and it's

taken us down a path further and further away from God, And

because we walk around holding on to those moments just like I

did. And still do we feel unworthy

and unqualified? Especially unqualified to be

called on by God or even unqualified just to approach God

or unworthy to accept God. Even just unworthy to let God

in, right? We sit behind closed doors.

While God is knocking it. We feel too broken to open the

door to unqualified and unworthy to sit in his presence now.

Fast-forward, six years from that day, in that moment with

Rory and Brooklyn, we read Royal Danish one evening and I bump

into Rory. Once again, and I'm walking out

feeling extremely guilty about my three scoops of ice, cream,

and caramel. Source dreams, but then, as soon

as I see, Rory, pull up. I'm like, well, the past is your

so ice cream must be good for the soul.

So, I didn't feel guilty about that anymore, and we started

chatting and randomly Roy asked me.

Have you ever thought about preaching?

And I'm like, wow, so I say to him funny enough, I have been

for a very long time for many years but it's not something

that I would do out of my own. I'd never pursue it because of

how insecure and shy and doubtful, and fearful I've

become because it's way out of my comfort zone, so it's never

going to happen. And besides that, I look at

people every week of year. We have Rory, and Stephen, and

Clinton Mel, we have these Godly men and women standing here

sharing the Of God. So I'm not as qualified as they

are. You know?

How am I going to live up to that?

Never going to happen. Another things.

Enjoy your ice cream chairs. Okay.

So A few moments shortly after that while I was still being my

soul is being nourished by my third scoop of Copenhagen.

God, put something on my heart and what he put was God doesn't

use the qualified. He uses the willing the sea God

doesn't only call a select few of us.

He calls all of us. He's placed a calling in your

heart, in all of your hearts in some shape or form, it's

different for all of us, but it's there.

And we think God only calls on the qualified or the worthy to

share his gospel. God doesn't call the qualified.

He calls the willing And we suppress that calling from God

because through certain moments of weakness in our past, we've

been led to believe. We are not good enough to live

up to that. We compare ourselves to those

who have been called and we say that will never be us because of

my broken heart, my crush Spirit my damaged goods.

I'm not equipped to be cold. But here's the kicker.

God doesn't use the qualified, he uses the Willing, he doesn't

call the equipped, he equips the cold.

And you don't need to be perfect to be used by God because he

says through your own path, imperfections, he will perfectly

equip you. And here's a few examples of how

God uses broken things. He uses broken soil to produce,

crops broken clouds to give rain broken grain to give bread

broken bread to give strength and broken people to do great

things. So throughout the Bible, we see

God using imperfect people for the sake of his mission, to

bring hope to the world. And sometimes it's difficult to

understand, why he used the certain people that he did.

And he didn't call the popular, the reach, the successful, you

know, the funniest of Base to further his ministry.

But he called the poor. He called the broken, he called

the faithful and I can only imagine how confused like the

Pharisees and religious leaders must Have been while looking at

the team of people that the Proclaim savior had gathered

together. They were a team of Misfits with

nothing to lose, but everything to gain for God.

And from an outside perspective, we can see it didn't matter.

What the past was, you know, it didn't matter where they were

from, what they've done who they were used to be, Jesus used all

people for the good of his will and if you don't believe me, we

can have a look at it together. I found a few examples of people

that were used for the greatness of his glory and I tied for the

gods broken soldiers, if you will.

So Abraham was old. Elijah was depressed and

suicidal. Joseph was abused job went

bankrupt. Moses had a speech problem

Gideon was afraid. Samson was a womanizer.

Rahab was a prostitute. The Samaritan woman that Jesus

met at the well was divorced? Noah was a drunk.

Jeremiah Was Young, Jacob was a cheetah.

David was a murderer Jonah ran from God.

Naomi was a widow Peter denied Christ, three times, Martha

worried about everything, Zacchaeus Was small and

money-hungry. The disciples fell asleep while

praying and Paul was a Pharisee who persecuted Christians before

becoming one. These are the type of people

that God used and called upon And Romans 8:28 says and we know

Romans 8:28

that in all things, God works for the good of those who love

him, who have been called according to his purpose.

And if you ever feel like you aren't worthy enough to be used

by God, let alone loved by him. Just remember that.

Jesus used a bunch of floor people to share hope with a

flawed world. In God, we find renewal we find

mending, we find purpose. Jesus didn't call on the

equipped. He equipped the cold and no

matter where you've been through, what you've been

through in life. Remember that the same power

that conquered the grave lives in each one of us You are worthy

of life. You are worthy of God's love,

you are worthy of joy. You are worthy of fulfilling

purpose that will take you to places.

You've never imagined of reaching God doesn't use the

qualified, he uses the willing. So a few years ago by, after all

of my partying and dropping out of University and so forth and I

get to a place eventually in my life 12 years ago where I

decided to get baptized. And again, this was a pivotal

moment in my life, where things inside of me, started to change.

But things didn't change overnight for me, it didn't go

from all this chaos in my life to getting baptized.

And now all of a sudden everything was just perfect.

And it also didn't happen that after my baptism, I got rid of

all of these things that kind of held me captive.

You know, I didn't get rid of being shy and introvert being

fearful and doubtful and all of that.

But on that day, when I got baptized, I did make a decision

saying to God. I might not feel qualified and

equipped, but I am willing. And that was 12 years ago, as

Rory, and Clint mentioned and some way around the same time

that I got baptized. Somebody had a pray for me, and

they prayed over my life, saying that there's a big calling that

God has on my life, and I felt it in that moment and then I

didn't know what it was. And I might not know right now

100% stole what it is, but I do know it's there, right?

That's there. And I'm in a place in my life

where I'm still not confident enough to take the first step or

put up my hand or Take a leap of faith.

I won't be the first one to step onto a dance floor, but what I

came to realize a very long time ago, is that I don't have to be

that person. See it's not easy to let go of.

All those years of moments and weakness, that tie us down and

hold us back. But when we are willing God can

do that for us. And I also want to make mention

because this is something that came up probably more than a

year ago with these four gentlemen, Dimitri re Gary and

Dean one of my favorite quotes is that may need other men to do

what God has called main to do. And you for guys have been

amazing. Support structure and influence

in my life individually and collectively that has led up to

this moment right now. And what I shared with them one

night is we were sitting around a fire and I just had this

feeling where I said and I think about it.

Like I don't know if you've ever been bungee jumping or

skydiving, but I'm that person in the airplane, when they open

the door I'm out. Like they have to hold me back

and say, hey, whoa! Just you know, I'm there but

taking this step of I know God, Is called me.

I'm not that person. I'm too reserved and being held

by everything to do that on my own and I said to them I can't

do that in my own strength. But what I am willing to do is

walk to the door and just accept to be pushed.

I won't jump out of My Own Strength, but I'm willing to let

it go and say, God, if you want me to jump, I'm willing for you

to push me. And I would have never

approached Rory and said, hey Rory, I'd like to preach one

Sunday night never, never never, but because I was willing to be

pushed. He worked through Rory and he

called me out by name. And that's why I'm standing

here, not because of my own strength, but because I was

willing, And I want to encourage you guys tonight.

If you feel broken hearted or crushed in spirit tied down, and

held captive by moments of weakness in your past.

If you feel unworthy, you feel unqualified and you feel

unequipped, just be willing because God will do the rest.

He's close to the Brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed

in spirit. He doesn't call the equip

equips. The cold, he doesn't use the

qualified, he uses the willing, I'll tell you how amazing God is

when we are willing because on that moment in my life, when I

decided, I know out of My Own Strength, I cannot do this, but

I'm willing for God to push me, this is what he gave me.

After all that chaos dropping out of University, he gave me a

job. He gave me a law degree, he gave

me an amazing wife and a beautiful family.

He gave me multiple businesses. He gave me the best friends I

could ever ask for, he gave me Community, he gave me

leadership, he gave me healing and he gave me joy. and I want

to close with this, we're in a season and a series of feasting

And in the season of feasting together, we are invited to sit

around tables with each other to enjoy fellowship and to Feast on

God's promise for us. But some of us here feel that we

are to broken and too unworthy to be invited to the table.

We feel that we are too crushed in spirit to even contribute to

the table. So we shy away, we retract we

placed perceived opinions of ourselves that tires down.

See when we sit around the table and we drop a plate or a glass

and it shatters, we quick to sweep it up, throw it away, and

we replace it with something that is new and whole, we throw

it in the bin and we replace it because that moment that it

breaks, it serves no more purpose.

It cannot hold the food or drink, we need to Feast on and

get nourished. So we throw it away and in the

same way, we throw ourselves away because we are broken and

we believe we have no more purpose.

You guys can put that picture up.

I don't know if you've ever heard of Kentucky, it's a

Japanese art of repairing, broken pottery by mending the

areas of breakage with liquid, gold silver or platinum.

And as a philosophy, a treats breakage and repair as part of

the history of an object rather than something to disguise, its

an embracing of the flawed or imperfect at values marks of way

from the use of an object. And this can be seen as a

rationale for keeping an object around.

Even after it has broken can also be understood as

highlighting, cracks and repairs as a vents in the life of an

object, and rather than allowing its surface to end at the time

of its damage or breakage, It's believed that when broken items

are repaired with gold or silver like this, that the floor

becomes unique, A Unique Piece Of The Objects history and the

uniqueness adds to its beauty. Instead of being defined by

whatever cause you to be brokenhearted and crushed by

spirit, I want to tell you that God creates Beauty through your

Brokenness, a uniqueness in you to be used.

And instead of throwing us away like a broken plate, that serves

no more purpose. When we go through life and

encounter events that breaks us God walks behind us and every

time we break or something, chirps, he picks up those broken

pieces one by one. And he just Just waits for the

day until we are willing. Because we cannot repair

ourselves any more than a broken plate, can repair itself.

But when we are willing to be repaired, God shows up with all

those broken pieces and he mends them back together with the

skill of a Kentucky artist laced with gold.

He will restore our imperfection so that we can be placed back on

the table, and hold the food and drink that not only, we can

Feast on. But also that we can hold the

food and drink to serve others. So that they may eat and drink.

Can be nourished. He's close to the Brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

He doesn't call the equipped equips the cold.

It doesn't use the qualified, he uses the willing So I want to

encourage you tonight. Let go of events weaknesses

opinions and false beliefs that are dragging you down.

They have wrongfully defined you through the world.

Believe that you are worthy, believe that there is a calling

on your life. You don't have to take the first

step out of your own. I can testify to that.

You just have to be willing to be pushed.

Just open your heart and be willing to let God work in you.

It doesn't use the qualified, he uses the willing.

God bless you. God bless you.